


The Office Party

by hinata22



Category: Naruto
Genre: M/M, a sort of festive fluffiness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2018-01-01
Packaged: 2019-02-19 16:16:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13127280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hinata22/pseuds/hinata22
Summary: Sasuke hates office parties, but he might find there is a certain blonde that he does like.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally going to be porn without much plot, but it turns out when I am ill in bed on Christmas Eve what I write turns out to be all about their relationship...maybe if I am ill for much longer I might go back to the pwp, but until then I hope this little story is okay and that you enjoy.
> 
> Big big hugs to all my fellow Naruto and fanfictioners, I love this site so much and am so happy that I can share my work with people who enjoy it.

Sasuke checked his watch, he had a small smile looking at the expensive early gift Itachi had given him, but frowned at how little time had passed. There was so much of this party left. His father had stressed how important it was that the management made an appearance at this annual celebration of tedium, but Sasuke had noted that he was the only member of the board present. There was no point complaining though, this was the price for being the youngest and newest executive in the family business. Glancing around at the mass of drunken employees he was beginning to think his six figure salary was not worth it.

He took a deep breath, time to earn his Christmas bonus. With a smile that looked more like a grimace he forced himself to walk out into battle and exchange small talk with the inanities that worked in his firm.

He survived eleven minutes before he had to retreat. These people were bad enough when they were sober, alcohol increased their stupidity to such a degree that they were actually trying to flirt with him!

The offices were supposed to be out of bounds for the party, but those were rules for lesser people and couldn’t apply to him. He would stay in his own office until there was only half an hour, perhaps ten minutes, of the party left then he would reappear. The fools were so drunk that they’d easily believe he’d been there the whole time.

Entering the lift though, Sasuke was confronted with the fact that others had decided to break the rules. Someone had taped photocopied pictures of their naked bottom all over the small space including the ceiling. It bothered Sasuke that without thinking, the very moment he’d looked at the grainy picture, he’d recognised whose ass it was.

His father had praised Sasuke more for the first person Sasuke had hired, than any other decision his son had made, including the very difficult takeover of the Hyugu company. For some reason Naruto Uzumaki had ignored all the other headhunters and extravagant offers and accepted Sasuke’s more modest proposal at the first meeting. It may have helped that Sasuke had kept up with his teenage rebellious hacking skills. Instead of trying to lure Naruto to one of the most expensive restaurants in town, he had invited him to a little ramen place in an unfashionable part of the city, and timed it so he asked him just after his current boss, Jiraiya, had e-mailed Naruto talking about retiring.

Sasuke himself, wasn’t so pleased with the presence of the blonde in his business. Naruto may have generated more income in half the time of everyone else put together, but if Sasuke’d known in advance how constantly loud the man would be, and the way he strutted around with such importance, Sasuke would've gladly let one of their competitors put up with him. Then there was the way Naruto was always coming to see Sasuke no matter how many times Sasuke told him he wasn’t interested in the daily goings on of a mere salesman. Sasuke’s father had unfortunately overheard one of these encounters with Naruto and had later berated Sasuke as if Sasuke was still a tiny child, apparently that particular salesman was a lot more important to the company than Sasuke was.

Sasuke glared even now at the memory of that humiliating taking down. Why couldn’t he call an idiot an idiot? In a temper he tore some of the pictures down, almost missing the fact that he’d reached his floor. He marched out of the lift towards his corner office, raging at being at this party and furious at the memory of his father’s anger because he hadn’t been polite enough to the blonde imbecile. His father hadn’t given him a chance to explain that Naruto was such an annoying man that he didn’t care how rude Sasuke was to him, he kept insisting on meetings with Sasuke, and there were too many chance meetings for them to be coincidences, the bare truth was that blonde obviously got off on mocking and infuriating Sasuke.

He threw his door open. Inside he exploded, on the exterior his face took on the indifferent countenance that his family were renowned for.

‘What are you doing in my office?’ His voice was as calm as his expression, but his secretary jumped off the man she was seemingly trying to grind through the wood of Sasuke's desk as if her boss had shouted.

She’d dyed her hair pink for the party and through his anger, Sasuke could see a certain type of man might find her pretty. A certain type of man in this case, being the blonde he’d just been fuming over.

Sasuke stepped to the side so that Sakura could scuttle past him with embarrassed murmurs of apology. Naruto in contrast, sat up looking entirely comfortable in nothing but his boxers (childish things with what appeared to be _frogs_ decorating them), he flashed Sasuke a grin after Sakura had gone.

‘Thanks for that, mate, you saved me from having to think of an excuse which would let us both keep our pride.’ He swished his hand over his groin area. ‘Normally, I’m always good to go, but nothing going on today.’

‘I am not your _mate_ , I am your boss. And I didn’t come here to rescue you from your pathetic attempt at sleeping with a drunk girl…’

Naruto raised his hands looking genuinely offended. ‘Hey now, I never take advantage of anyone when they’re worse for wear, Sakura’s not drinking alcohol because she’s still on antibiotics, a fact you’d know if you ever paid any attention to the people around you as, yaknow, actual people, rather than just machines that help you make money.’ Naruto blushed now. ‘If anything, it’s the other way around. I’ve drunk more than I should and am letting Sakura have fun with me. I normally keep well within my limits at these things, because…work and all…but I wasn’t expecting you to be here, figured this would be a nightmare for you, having to spend time with your workers when they’re relaxed and having fun and you can’t order them around…anyway I guess, I saw you and I started drinking.’ Naruto jumped off the desk and started looking around for where his clothes had been thrown.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. ‘Why would seeing me make you drink? Your chief amusement appears to be seeking me out and tormenting me.’

‘It’s you tormenting me, bastard,’ Naruto picked up a pair of incredibly bright orange jeans. He swayed slightly and steadied himself with a hand on the desk. ‘That first time we met, I felt such an unbelievable connection with you, but since I signed the contract you’ve been like…you’re not attracted to me at all.’

Sasuke smirked. ‘Perhaps because I am _not_ attracted to you at all. The first time we met I needed to impress you, that’s all. How is such an idiot like you, so good at your job?’

To Sasuke’s surprise, Naruto grinned. ‘That’s almost a compliment, yaknow, saying I am good at my job? And you did impress me, not by hacking my files and…’

Sasuke frowned. ‘You know?’

‘Of course, that’s why I met you, not because you found out the only restaurant whose advertising doesn’t go into my junk. I was intrigued by a man who had the skills to hack through all my protections, I know how good you must be to do that, because computers used to be my main thing… but, yaknow, I was curious what sort of guy would be able to do that and choose to work in the stuffed suit section of his father’s firm? And then I didn’t really care, because I saw all this genuine sweetness behind all the things you were saying to pretend to be my friend…and the fact that you were obviously gay…’

‘I am not gay.’ Sasuke snapped. ‘And I am not sweet either.’

‘You don’t know you’re gay?’ Naruto tilted his head, his eyes wide with innocent curiosity.

‘What is it with you? I don’t know I am gay, because I am _not_ gay.’

‘Huh. You seem so keyed in, in some ways, but you don’t know your own sexuality. Odd. Maybe that’s why things aren’t clicking between us.’ Naruto’s voice was slightly slurred as if standing up for so long was making his brain realise how much alcohol he’d had.

The blonde tottered forward, and instinctively Sasuke sprung towards him and caught the other man in his arms.

‘Hmmm, you smell good.’ Naruto snuggled against Sasuke’s chest, and then after a moment raised his head to look into the other man’s eyes. ‘You’re not attracted to me at all right now?’

‘No,’ Sasuke said with a frown of irritation.

‘Then why have you been holding a photocopy of my ass the whole time we’ve been talking?’

Sasuke blushed. He hadn’t realised he still had that in his hand. ‘If you photocopy your parts and stick them all over the lift, you must expect people to tear them down and…’

‘Take a pic back to their office to look at them in privacy and…’

‘Take it to the nearest bin.’ Sasuke screwed the thing up in his hands and without taking his eyes off the blonde, threw it into the trash.

Naruto looked drunk but unperturbed. ‘If you’re not attracted to me, why are you still holding me?’

‘I am not going to let you fall on the floor,’ Sasuke said with only the slightest pause.

‘You’ve like got your arm around me all protective,’ Naruto said.

‘I just told you I am not going to let you fall.’

‘And why you’ve got a stiffy?’

Sasuke sucked his lips in. He was hoping the other man wouldn’t notice that. ‘I got turned on when Sakura was here. Nothing to do with you.’

Naruto nodded. ‘I wish I got turned on by her, it’d have made thing easier rather than being still hung up on you. She likes me and she’s cool, and I’m lucky that I like both gals and guys, so I should have lots of choice. But I’ve got no choice, I can’t stop thinking of you.’ Naruto shook his head. ‘The alcohol did not help.’ He hugged his arms around Sasuke as if they were old friends. ‘Can you kiss me? Just so I know for definite you’re not gay? Like it’s Christmas, so even though I'm kinda your least favourite employee, it’s like the season of kissing people you don’t really fancy to give them a chance of getting over their stupid crush on you?’

Sasuke stared at the almost naked blonde and wondered if this was some sort of punishment for trying to get away from the annoying mass of employees and ending up in a much more awkward situation alone with this man.

‘I could go and find some mistletoe, if that would help make it more normalish for you?’ Naruto had impossibly wide innocent blue eyes for someone wearing just his underwear and trying to get his boss to kiss him.

‘You want me to prove I am not gay, by kissing you…and this kiss will somehow cure you having…an unwise attraction to me? However much you have drunk that makes no sense,’ Sasuke said in a voice of pure indifference.

Naruto appeared to be trying to think and that the act was making his brain hurt. ‘You’re probably right.’ He finally said. He blinked several times. ‘Look, just forget all this, like you said we’re not mates, you shouldn’t get stuck trying to keep me upright. Just let me get my clothes, and I’ll phone one of my real friends to make sure I get home safely.’

The blonde tried to step backwards, but for some unfathomable reason, on the verge of getting rid of the nuisance, Sasuke pulled the other man tighter against him.

‘I’ll kiss you, if it’ll cure your little schoolboy crush and stop you bothering me all the time,’ Sasuke said firmly.

He pressed his lips against Naruto’s, planning, as far as he was planning any of this, to give him a chaste peck. But there was something full and seductive and hot about the other man’s mouth. He found that his tongue was delving and exploring as if this was both the first and last kiss he’d ever experience.

His hands ran over the muscles of the blonde’s back, squeezing and caressing. He lifted him surprisingly easily onto the desk and continued kissing with undisguised lust. It was only when his fingertips were beginning to push under the waistband of Naruto’s underwear that he stopped and stepped backwards panting.

Naruto gazed at him with undisguised awe. ‘Wow. If that’s how you kiss someone you don’t fancy, I’m really wishing I was a girl.’

Sasuke licked his lips and looked the man up and down. ‘I haven’t drunk anything. Get dressed and I’ll drive you to my place. You can stay in my apartment tonight…just to check you don’t do anything stupid like choke on your own vomit…I have no intention of doing anything else with you in that state. We’ll talk more about this gay thing in the morning when you sober up.’

Without meeting Naruto’s eyes he found all the man’s clothes and passed them to him. When the blonde was staring at his shirt as if it was a foreign object, Sasuke used the opportunity to dart forward and get the screwed up photocopy out of the bin, and quickly hide it in his pocket. Naruto struggled with his buttons and Sasuke couldn’t stop himself intervening and helping the man with all his fastenings.

When he was fully dressed, Naruto grinned. ‘You're supposed to be ripping my clothes off, yaknow, not carefully putting them back on, we’re kinda doing this whole drunken office party hook up thing wrong, aren't we?’

Sasuke put his arm around the other man’s waist and guided him out of the offices and to the lift that would take them to the car park. He had no idea what his father would say about him leaving the party early, or what he’d think of the potential new relationship his son might develop with his beloved favourite salesman. But right now he didn’t care. Despite what Naruto had just said, things were just starting to feel right.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have given into popular demand,well two comments :), and added the next part to this story. I'll try and finish the next chapter soon. I am not quite sure what I am writing as I am ill, and I know I make lots of mistake when I am fully well, so please be patient with the errors, but I hope it has somehow turned out on the screen like I've imagined it in my fluffy mind!

**The Morning After**

 

Naruto wiped away the gunk from his eyes and stared wide eyed at the room he’d woken up in. His immediate thought was that he was in a hotel, everything was so pristine and impersonal, like a picture from a magazine. His heart thumped. How drunk had he got at the office party? He had his own set of guidelines that he lived his life by, he definitely wasn’t averse to alcohol and being the stupid centre of attention when he was out with his closest friends, who knew him well and never let him do anything he’d regret. However, with colleagues and acquaintances he always kept control. He knew how to shine and be vibrant without needing chemicals to take away his inhibitions, and it allowed him to always adhere to his most important rule: no hooks up when inebriated.

Yet here he was, alone in a strange room, not knowing what had happened last night. He lifted up the duvet, and looked down at his body. He was wearing unfamiliar lounge pants of a silky material. He pulled up the waistband to confirm that underneath he still had on his froggy underpants. He inspected his skin, there were no marks or bruises and the only thing that hurt was his head, but even then not as much as normal.

As his brain started to function, he caught a smell that he recognised as coffee and noticed that on the bedside cabinet there was a mug with a lid on it, a tall glass of water with ice and lemon in it, and a smaller glass with orange juice. There was also a little packet of painkillers.

A memory returned of Sakura with pink hair goading him into photocopying his ass. Oh and more. Him mostly naked laying on his back with a fully clothed Sakura grinding on top of him. He sighed. Sakura was a nice girl. They were good friends. He was lucky it wasn’t someone a lot worse he’d spent the night with. He didn’t know why there was such a depressed feeling of disappointment in him. Maybe it was just the after effects of the alcohol. Maybe it was the fact that he’d obviously shown off by splashing out on a really expensive hotel. Maybe it was that she’d been thoughtful enough to leave him all the beverages but hadn’t wanted to hang around.

He took the lid off the coffee mug and downed the steaming drink. He gulped down the hot liquid and widened his eyes in surprise. It was made to his exact specifications with a huge amount of milk, a hint of vanilla and a mass of light brown sugar to offset the bitterness. Before returning the mug he glanced at the coaster it rested on, some sort of classy marble material with the Uchiha symbol tastefully rendered in the corner.

He suddenly remembered where Sakura had been grinding against him. In Sasuke’s office. And Sasuke had turned up.

Naruto swore under his breath. He had a vague idea that he had confessed his feelings to his boss, and insisted that Sasuke was gay…and they had kissed. Naruto licked his lips. How had that _kiss_ not been the first thing he’d thought of when he woke up? All the sex he’d had piled together, had not given him the same intensity of pleasure as that one kiss had.

And then Sasuke had taken him home, and…oh. Naruto unfortunately recalled some sort of argument where Sasuke had offered him coffee and Naruto had shouted about how no one could make coffee how he liked it.

Entirely different from the sex issue, there was this demon anger in him that could randomly emerge when he wasn’t in control. His close friends were used to it and knew how to calm him down, but it was definitely not aside him he was comfortable with strangers seeing. But as Naruto downed both the water and the orange juice and took a couple of painkillers, he hoped that the sign that Sasuke had left him all these drinks, was a sign that Naruto hadn’t gone on one of his worse rampages. Had Sasuke known how to quiet him? He kind of hoped he had kissed him again, and kind of hoped he hadn’t. He wanted to treasure every single intimate moment with that man, and not have any when he wouldn’t be able to remember.

Tentatively he swung his legs out of bed and went in search of a bathroom. There was one en-suite. Of course. Which looked as much like a hotel as the bedroom. The towels even had little Uchiha symbols in the corner like a hotel crest. This man was super proud of his family that he even wanted to be reminded of them when he was drying his bits.

Naruto considered the shower for a few moments, but instead went in search of the owner of this super clean apartment. He found two smaller, presumably guest, bedrooms, which made the blonde smile at the thought that Sasuke had put him to bed in his own room. A massive living space with an open plan kitchen and huge floor to ceiling windows with views that took Naruto’s breath away. But he didn’t pause for long, he kept on exploring. There was a small room, little more than a cupboard that was filled with bits of computers and carefully dated notebooks. Naruto picked up one, in neat handwriting were ideas for games, lines of coding and ciphered details of projects Sasuke undertook with a team of hackers referred to individually as K, J and Su. The last book ended halfway through, and Naruto didn’t need to check to know in his guts that the dates would coincide with when Sasuke started working at his father’s company. Naruto blushed at how nosey he was being. He hadn’t looked at the incredible view, but was stopping to explore Sasuke’s storage room. He tried to justify it by reminding himself that the Uchiha had hacked into his accounts, but somehow what he was doing, flipping through Sasuke’s handwritten notes, seemed a thousand times more intimate.

Naruto left that room, and the next door he tried led him to a study. It had the same ceiling to floor windows as the living space but here they were covered with closed blinds and the light was provided by a spattering of elegant lamps. Sasuke sat at a desk, even larger than the one at his work office, and was typing at a sleek laptop. He was dressed in one of the dark suits Naruto saw him in every day, the only difference being that the shirt was only half buttoned up, revealing a tantalising slither of a toned torso.

The other man didn’t look up when Naruto entered the room, and the blonde stood still for a moment wondering how he had managed to get the austere arrogant bastard to be interested enough in him that they shared that kiss last night.

‘I’m awake,’ he said cheerfully.

Sasuke didn’t bother to give him any acknowledgement.

‘Thanks for looking after me last night…and you know not taking advantage of me or whatever.’ Naruto rubbed the back of his head.

Sasuke didn’t look over, but made a kind of ‘Hnnnn’ sound, the kind of sound that could be interpreted as, ‘I wasn’t even slightly tempted to _take advantage of you_ because I am not at all attracted to you. It was a random act of madness that made me bring you back to my home, which I intend to correct by getting rid of you as soon as possible.’ But Naruto was a veteran of many conversations with Sasuke (admittedly never in these precise circumstances) and he grinned, seeing obtaining any response as making incredible process.

Naruto took tentative steps further into the room. ‘So, you’ve got an amazing apartment, it’d be great to hang out here a bit.’

Sasuke stopped typing for a moment and clicked open a succession of files.

This was the point where Naruto was obviously supposed to take the hint and politely enquire where his own clothes were and ask if he could phone for a taxi. For a moment he considered if that was his best option? Yesterday night preparing for the office do, it would have been the stuff of fantasy to have Sasuke just acknowledge him, let alone be kissed by him and wake up in his apartment. This was a massive step forward, but Sasuke wasn’t comfortable with him here, so it would be wise to withdraw and not push him any further. He’d lose all chance of ever being invited back if Sasuke labelled him as a pest that didn’t know when to leave.

But even as he thought it out logically, Naruto knew he wasn’t going to do the wise thing. After months and months of trying to get the Uchiha to see him as a person, he’d done something while he was drunk that had caught Sasuke’s interest enough that he took Naruto home. He was here in Sasuke’s private space and if he didn’t prove now that Sasuke hadn’t made a mistake he probably never would get a second chance.

The blonde wished he remembered more about the most significant encounter of his romantic life, but he knew enough about himself when he was drunk and he’d have to work from that. He tended to say whatever was in his mind and heart without any filter, be confident…and sometimes let his temper show. He took a deep breath, he’d avoid the anger thing, but he was going to have to be super confident and speak openly without doubt and hope that that was what had intrigued Sasuke last night.

He strode over to Sasuke’s desk and slammed the laptop down, almost catching the other man’s fingers.

‘What the f…’ Sasuke snapped.

Naruto spoke in a louder voice, interrupting him before he could curse him out. ‘Didn’t they teach you manners at whatever billion-dollar school you were educated at? You brought me here, I am your guest, give me some attention.’

‘Oh, you have all my attention,’ Sasuke hissed.

‘Good.’ Naruto smiled. ‘I want to interview for the role of your new boyfriend.’

Sasuke’s eyes widened at that. He recovered quickly though. ‘There is no vacancy that would be suitable for _you_.’

Naruto pulled the silky trousers off and perched on Sasuke’s desk wearing only his froggy boxers. ‘It’s unprofessional to say something like that at the beginning of the interview, you have to at least pretend the applicant has a chance.’ Despite his relaxed demeanour Naruto’s heart was thumping. The blink-and-you’d-miss-it appreciative glance Sasuke gave his almost naked body just made his heart race more. The fact that the dark haired man might be attracted to him, that he might actually have a possibility of bedding the Uchiha, just raised the stakes of this ridiculous overconfident gamble he was taking. He could lose everything here.

He was fairly certain that he was remembering correctly that Sasuke had said he wasn’t gay last night, which should mean that Naruto acted in an extra sensitive manner, sexuality could be a difficult area to navigate. But if he backed down now, it’d make everything worse. He had to carry this through to the end, and just hope and hope that he would display whatever magical part of his personality had charmed the Uchiha at the party.

‘So, Mr Uchiha, have you got any questions for me, or do you just want to skip the formalities and give me the position immediately?’ Naruto grinned widely.

Sasuke pushed back on his wheeled leather office chair to put a couple of feet distance between him and the man currently occupying his desk.

‘Mr Uzumaki, I am mildly curious what response you expect from me, attending an _interview_ undressed down to your ridiculous underwear?’ Sasuke raised an eyebrow.  ‘Am I supposed to be overcome with desire for you?’

Naruto laughed and shook his head. ‘Nope. This is one of a number of boxers I have that I wear when I definitely don’t want to get undressed with someone. It’s kind of like a mental thing if I’m tempted, as I don’t want anyone to see them. But this trick obviously didn’t work for me last night. And as you’ve obviously already seen them, I want to stand in front of you as I am. If I want sex I wear some overpriced brand name, but this is who I really am. I like colourful cartoon pants.’

‘You’re admitting you don’t want to impress me then?’ Sasuke smirked.

Naruto dropped his gaze, and wished that he could still be at least a little bit tipsy. But he was going to be as honest as he’d be if he was drunk and uninhibited. ‘My memory is a bit foggy, but I’m pretty sure I must have told you how I feel last night. I’ve never felt like this before about anyone.’ He kept his head lowered but looked at the other man out of the top of his eyes. ‘I think we could be something special together. I want us to be long term,  and for me that means no bs, I want you to see exactly who I am and make your decision based on that, not some image that I create for you.’

Sasuke tilted his head back and laughed derisively. ‘Are you declaring your undying love for me off the back of one dinner months ago when I had to sugar you up to get you to sign a rubbish contract? Or is it all our scintillating conversations at work where you run around after me boasting about your sales figures like a desperate puppy dog who’s learned how to fetch his master’s slippers?’ 

Naruto ground his teeth together and spoke in a low voice. ‘I’ve got it bad for you, I’ve admitted that. Someone who mocks another person’s heartfelt feelings is not someone I’d normally ever choose for a friend, let alone want for…anything else.

The Uchiha leaned forward now, his elbows on his knees, and his head resting on his hands. ‘Pray tell me, which is it that overcomes your scruples more: my looks, my power or my enormous wealth?’

Naruto covered the space between them in one quick stride. He brushed Sasuke’s own hands away and took the man’s chin in the palm of his own hand, forcing the Uchiha to look up at him. Naruto had no idea what he was doing, whether his instincts were leading him to slap or kiss the object of his desire. But he was surprised that Sasuke did not push him away, he gazed up at the blonde, his eyes losing their indifference and shining with clear excitement.

Whatever he was going to originally do or say, Naruto’s breath caught in his throat at how beautiful the other man looked. He licked his lips and spoke carefully. ‘There’s been people more powerful and richer than you that have wanted me. I can’t say truthfully there’s ever been anyone more attractive than you, as I’ve never desired anyone like I desire you. But there have been plenty of good looking people and I’ve never fallen for them.’ He forced himself to drop his hand away from Sasuke. If he kept touching the other man, he didn’t know where it would lead. He spoke in a quiet voice. ‘There was a way you smiled at me when we first met. I was just telling you a stupid story, I can’t even remember what about, and you relaxed and you smiled like we were real friends rather than a business thing, and my heart stopped and I knew deep in my soul I’d do anything to get you to smile at me like that again. I felt like there was a lot of sadness in you, and I wanted to make you happy.  And, yeah, I know it before you say it, that you’re rich, successful, handsome, there’s nothing in your life to make you sad, it’s me being an idiot thinking I can see something in you that no one else who knows you a lot better than me ever has. But it is how it is, and I can’t shake away this sense of wanting to be near you.’

Naruto gasped as Sasuke put hands firmly on the blonde’s hips and pulled the man down on to his lap.

Despite the intimacy of their position, the dark haired man’s voice remained neutral. ‘Your stupid story was about Kermit. We were talking about cuisine from different countries and you started talking about how you never ate in French restaurants, because you were worried you’d accidentally order frogs legs. Which would be a disaster as when you were young your biggest wish was that Kermit was real and would be your best friend.’

‘Why did that make you smile?’ Naruto asked. His cheeks flushed at being so close to the man he had been fantasising about for so long, and that Sasuke had remembered and knew what he was talking about. The smile hadn’t been a figment of his love-crazy imagination.

‘I’m interviewing you. Remember who is in charge.’ Sasuke rubbed his thumbs over the pictures on Naruto’s underwear. ‘What is your obsession with amphibians?’

Naruto met Sasuke’s eyes, was it a careless question, or did the other man have some idea of how personal the answer was? Should he give a throwaway answer? No. If there was any reality in Naruto’s belief that they were connected, the only way forward was to be truthful.

‘I’m an orphan. My parents died the day I was born in a car accident. That’s where the scars on my face came from. Normally babies are really easy to adopt out, but I was in hospital for a long time, and had a lot of problems. I was small and underdeveloped the doctors thought I had brain issues, later the psychologists said I had behavioural problems. I was diagnosed with all sorts of things, just a walking mess. A couple of families did try with me, but I always got sent back. I got bullied for my scarring, which was worse when I was a kid, I’ve mostly healed over the years. But yaknow, my life was such crap that I encouraged the bullying as it was better than being straight ignored.’ Unconsciously Naruto stroked a hand over the revealed chest where Sasuke’s shirt was unbuttoned.  ‘Then one day I saw this nature documentary thing on the telly about frogs, yaknow, how they start as tadpoles swimming about in a pond, and then like transform into these amazing creatures that can leap about on land. And I thought that if a tiny squidgy thing can grow legs and become a cute frog, then it was really possible for me to change into this wrong kid with no friends to someone right and likeable. Then a new guy started at the children’s home, and he’d been an orphan too, and he said I reminded him of how he was. He taught me how important it was to smile and be friendly towards people. And I guess that’s why I am good at sales, because as a kid I had to learn how to sell myself to potential parents.’

Naruto dared to look into Sasuke’s eyes, he breathed a sigh of relief to see there was intent interest but no pity. He noticed his fingers were trailing over the other man’s pale neck and blushed. He quickly rubbed the back of his neck and gave a sheepish grin.

‘I hope if nothing else I’m getting points for originality. I’m betting none of your other relationships have begun with finding them making out with someone else in your office, followed by a drunken declaration of love. Then when you make a move and pull them onto your lap they ignore your gorgeousness and start yakking on about their childhood and being inspired by frogs.’

Sasuke relaxed back into his chair, but kept his hands on Naruto’s hips, caressing up and down over the material of the underwear, but never touching bare skin. ‘Hnnnn. You seem to be assuming that this is the beginning of a relationship, when you haven’t even got through the interview. At this point you should probably digest the information that not only do I not do sex with men, I do not do relationships. And also, you’re seriously deluded if you think frogs are _cute_.’

‘Frogs are the cutest!’ Naruto shouted. ‘You so cannot be my boyfriend if you don’t get that!’

Sasuke laughed, a deep genuine sound, the opposite of the mocking laughter of earlier. ‘It is you who is trying to convince me to date you, not the other way around.’

‘Well, this interview is terminated if you don’t immediately admit frogs are great. And foxes. I like foxes too.’ Naruto moved to jump off the man’s lap. Something he didn’t think he’d be doing if he ever got into this miraculous position.

Sasuke moved his hands around to Naruto’s buttocks and held the man in place. ‘What is it about you? You’re incredibly annoying, but whenever you go to leave me, I want to hold onto you.’

Naruto’s eyes brightened. For someone who claimed not to be attracted to men, Sasuke was kneading his ass with experienced hands.

‘Tell me frogs are cute and I’ll stay then,’ Naruto said. His voice was too husky, giving away his own emotions at the Uchiha saying he wanted to hold onto him.

‘I’ll give you foxes,’ Sasuke said. ‘What do you like about them? The way they scavenge through rubbish tips?’

‘How adaptable they are, they live in the snow, desserts, the countryside, and are one of the few animals that thrive even when people build all over their natural habitat.’ Naruto was barely aware of what he was saying. Against the desires of his body, he pulled away from Sasuke and went back to sitting on the desk.

Sasuke raised his eyebrows, but made no further move to cling onto the blonde.

‘I’m not drunk, but I am a bit hungover and woozy, and you touching me is making all the blood leave my head and rush to my groin. There’s kind of a wild, demon side to me that I can’t always contain when my head isn’t quite there, and I don’t want you to see that.’

Sasuke pointedly looked him up and down. ‘I think I can handle you.’

Naruto smiled. ‘I’m pretty sure you can too…but if you’re saying you haven’t been with guys before, I don’t want your first time to be me madly ravaging you.’ Naruto’s brow creased and his voice became serious. ‘I’m kinda aware that I shouldn’t be making a play for you like this, trying to be your boyfriend. You need to explore your sexual identity without any pressure.’ He gave a small shrug. ‘I’m not into monogamy or…’

Clear anger flashed across Sasuke’s normally nonchalance face. ‘You’re saying you’d talk me into being your boyfriend and then play around with whoever you want on the side? Or are you expecting _me_ to be your thing on the side?’

‘No.’ Naruto waved his hand in denial. ‘I don’t want anyone but you, I’m entirely certain of that. But I was trying to tell you, that I’m not possessive or anything, you’re free to explore who you are without feeling chained down to me, yaknow, if I’m lucky enough to be the first guy you go with, I don’t want you to feel trapped by me, you might want to go out and find out what other men are like. I’m not the beginning and end of your gay journey.’

Sasuke stood up to his full height. ‘Is that what you want? Some sort of free for all? Is that what turns you on?’ His voice and expression were pure indifference, but Naruto knew this was a key moment.

He took a deep breath, he had to keep being open. If it all failed, at least he’d know he’d shown Sasuke his real self, and as much as it would tear him apart to be rejected, it was better than trying to create some illusion to try and impress the other man.

‘My first relationship with a man was a disaster…I’ve never said it out loud before, but I guess…it was abusive. I was always willing, but I was only fourteen…and he was older. He got angry, really angry, when I said I was bi, not a hundred percent gay. He tried to make me into what he wanted me to be and…you’re obviously a fully grown, very confident adult, but still…I obviously want you all to myself…but it’s more important for you to be happy and develop in your own way. Does that make any sense?’

Naruto sighed with relief when Sasuke nodded.

‘How about, instead of going full on relationship, you consider me for a probationary period? Spend Christmas with me. I’m thinking a log cabin and lots of snow, a roaring fire, and hot nuts.’ He flashed his biggest smile to cover his nervousness. He knew he was about to take his biggest gambit. All those years of loneliness watching people from afar, trying to learn how normal people functioned, those endless trips being shuffled around between different experts on mental health, it would all be worth it, if it had led him to this moment when he could successfully read this man who had captivated him like no one else ever had before.

The blonde took a deep breath. ‘I know this is the first conversation we’ve ever had like this, and I’m doing almost all the talking, but I’ve felt connected to you for so long. If there’s anything wrong in what I’m about to say, I’ll stop bothering you and be nothing but professional with you, if I get it right, give me Christmas day with you.’

Sasuke gave the smallest gesture of agreement and Naruto continued talking.

‘I think you spend Christmas on your own, that it’s always been that way. I think your family do the expected outward show, but that business never stops and money has no idea that it’s supposed to be a holiday. I think your parents have always given you cash for a present, and that Father Christmas never left anything in your stocking. I think your family saw your competitors as weak for taking time off, and they spend the festive period making deals internationally in the parts of the world where Christmas isn’t celebrated.

The only exception is Itachi, he gives you an actual gift, but always early as he’ll be considered indispensable for the dealings. This year he gave you that watch you’re wearing, I’m guessing as you glance at it and touch it regularly, and I know how much you love Itachi as whenever he’s in the building you run about after him like I do after you.’

Sasuke blushed and Naruto gave him a reassuring smile. ‘Don’t worry you’re a lot subtler than I am. It’s only because I’m so creepily obsessed with you that I notice. All the Uchiha crests everywhere in your home is overcompensating because you’re in your way as lonely as I am, you surround yourself with your family symbol because you can’t have your real family. Apart from the Uchiha thing, your house is a show home, the most personal things are your computer stuff which is locked out of sight in a storage room. You hide it because you’re determined to be the Uchiha your family can be proud of, but you don’t throw it out because you hope one day you’ll be able to return to it and be the person you want to be.’

Naruto stood up so that his big toes were touching Sasuke’s. ‘I think since you were a kid you’ve dreamed of sharing a traditional Christmas with someone who loves you. Let me be the one to finally give it to you.’

‘Hnnnn.’

Naruto’s heart thumped so loudly that he was sure Sasuke could hear it. Whatever adrenaline or morning-after madness was driving him forward vanished, and he was hit like a blow to the stomach with the mixture of rudeness, over-sharing, and pop psychology he had thrown at this man he cared so much for.

Sasuke leaned into Naruto so his mouth was right by the blonde’s ear. Naruto’s body shivered with the heat of his breath.

‘You have Christmas Day,’ Sasuke said.

Naruto opened his mouth to burble out his gratitude, but he was relieved on so many levels when Sasuke stopped him saying anything with a passionate kiss that Naruto never wanted to end.


	3. Christmas Eve

**Christmas Eve**

 

With slight misgivings, Sasuke turned his new car, bought with his parents’ Christmas money and his bonus, which seemed to be basically the same thing, into the rough looking street. He would have been less surprised to see Batman battling the Joker in the derelict looking street, than the sight that did greet him. Naruto was there dressed up in the full Father Christmas regalia; black boots, red trousers, red jacket with white woolly trim, topped off with a massive hat that fell forward almost covering his eyes. To complete the effect, he was surrounded by enough boxes and luggage as if they were going away for months. The single Christmas Day had had to be extended, just to accommodate the drive up to his family’s lodge and the drive back, but not by that much.

Sasuke was seriously tempted just to drive straight past, but the blonde saw him and waved and smiled…damn that smile, it was brighter than any Christmas lights. Sasuke pulled up and watched in silence as Naruto nattered away, filling the back seat and boot up with all his things.

When he slid in next to Sasuke he leaned over and pecked the other man on the cheek, a simple gesture that somehow made the Uchiha blush more than if Naruto had smooched him. He wasn’t sure if the quick kiss indicated that they had already slipped into being comfortable boyfriends, or if the exact nature of their relationship was incredibly awkward. He had bought a new phone which he only gave Naruto the number to, and realised that he was picking it up and checking it more often than his work one. He hadn’t texted the blonde much, but couldn’t deny that he was smiling at the numerous ridiculous messages the idiot had sent him in a short space of time; photos of frogs that were supposed to be cute; fact files about foxes; everything he ate, at least Sasuke hoped it was everything the blonde ate, he couldn’t believe the man could fit more into his toned body; his scores on the video games he played, whether they were woeful or incredible; an audio clip of the blonde singing the complete Jingle Bells after Sasuke refused to believe it had more than one verse; and then there were the selfies. Naruto did not send as many as Sasuke would expect given the volume of things he _did_ send, and the fact that the Uchiha considered all salespeople huge egotists. And then the photos the blonde did take were innocent sweet things, a sad face because he wasn’t seeing Sasuke for a few days, a madly happy face because they were spending Christmas day together. There was one after a shower of Naruto’s hair all floppy and wet around his face, and that was the closest it had got to a naked one. But Sasuke was adamant that he was not going to ask for a dick pic, however many times he had typed it in, he always deleted the words before he clicked send. Sasuke told himself it was just curiosity, and the belief that someone as loud as Naruto, with the body that the blonde packed, would be showing off with any and everyone that he randomly flirted with.

‘What are you thinking about?’ Naruto asked beaming.

‘How the hell I ended up with someone dressed as Santa Claus in my car. I am hoping you’re going to tell me you’re moonlighting as a store Father Christmas, and that outfit is not a free choice.’ Sasuke smoothly reversed the car round as he spoke.

Naruto laughed. ‘This is all for your benefit. Shall I get all my jokes about stuffing and stockings out of the way now or wait until actual Christmas Day?’

‘I suggest you get _all_ your jokes about everything out of the way while I still have some patience.’

‘Don’t forget, bastard, you’re the one who has changed the time you picked me up five times. And every time you’ve made it earlier.’ Naruto grinned an infuriating grin.

Sasuke’s cheeks flushed with heat. How was this man such a good salesperson when he always found the most annoying thing to say? He was too aware of how his brain had found perfectly logical reasons to change the pick-up time, but his heart had raced with illogical anticipation every time he contacted Naruto and asked if he was free to come earlier.

He was also aware that right now he wasn’t driving how he normally did. Usually he was what he considered confidently assertive, but a voice inside was telling him that the blonde might view it as cutting people up and being arrogant. Even when they hit clear empty roads, Sasuke found himself keeping well within the speed limit and watching the weather conditions carefully as Naruto rattled out every single thought that seemed to appear in his head. When it began to lightly snow, even though he had full faith in both his car and his reactions, he concentrated even harder.

‘Hey, you’re looking tired, it’s taking longer than you said it would. Pull over and I’ll drive the rest of the way,’ Naruto suddenly said at the end of a long spiel about endangered species of frogs.

‘Maybe if you had something more interesting to talk about I’d feel more awake,’ Sasuke said in a flat voice. But his heart stuttered as he wondered what the hell he was doing driving like a timid old lady, when normally he tore these roads up at speeds that had on one occasion even made Itachi request that he slowed down.

None of the answers that appeared in his mind pleased him: he wanted longer in the car listening to the blonde’s warm chatter, he was unsure what would happen when they reached the cabin, he was nervous that Naruto wouldn’t like his driving, and even worse than being concerned about what someone else thought about him, was the idea that he was actually feeling so over protective of the muscly, toned, noisy man sitting next to him that he was travelling at a snail’s pace to avoid the miniscule chance of an accident.

‘Come on, Sas, I know this is your precious car or whatever, but I spend most of my working life driving between meetings. You can trust me. Take a break.’

‘My name is Sasuke, if that is too difficult for you, stick to Mr Uchiha.’  Despite the hardness of his tone, Sasuke did stop and swap places with Naruto. He wasn’t entirely sure why he did this. He never let anyone outside his immediate family drive him anywhere, he even always refused a chauffeur, despite the time it would save him.

Yet here he was sitting on the passenger side, while Naruto who had been in his home precisely once was rummaging around his car with a familiarity as if they had known each other all their lives. He found a blanket in the boot in some sort of first aid kit that Sasuke didn’t even know he had and placed it over the dark-haired man.

Sasuke frowned, but didn’t resist. He wasn’t particularly cold, but there was something bizarrely enchanting about the company’s top salesman dressed up as Father Christmas fussing around him as if they were an old married couple.

Then from one of his own pieces of luggage, Naruto produced two flasks, one decorated with Kermit and the other with Miss Piggy. He passed the Kermit one to Sasuke.

‘Really really horrible bitter hot chocolate, the way I think you like it?’ Naruto said with raised eyebrows.

Sasuke smirked. ‘Is your friendship with Sakura based on finding information out about me?’

‘Not purposely. We met by accident, and then maybe…well, perhaps I do pay more attention than she realises when she’s complaining about all the strict instructions you give her for refreshment orders.’

Sasuke sipped from the flask and then drank more, his source of information might be Sakura, but Naruto made it better than his secretary ever had. He glanced sideways at the blonde who was making faces at his own drink which smelt of strong coffee.

‘I remember all that shouting about how you like your drink and you can’t even make it right yourself.’

Naruto grinned. ‘I made a flask of coffee how you like it, in case you needed a pep me up for the driving. But seeing I am now the designated driver, I thought I’d take the caffeine boost.’

Sasuke felt an inexplicable warmth surge through him at the other man making drinks for his tastes rather than the blonde’s own. He felt strangely calm and relaxed as Naruto drove off in a manner that was more akin to Sasuke’s usual driving.

‘I’m sorry, yaknow, about that night, when I was drunk, if I got into a rage about something stupid like coffee.’ Naruto took a hand off the wheel and rubbed the back of his neck. He kept perfect control of the vehicle with his remaining hand as he turned around a series of sharp bends. ‘I like am happy all the time, but there is this anger in me that comes out at ridiculous times and…’

 ‘Don’t apologise. I’m attracted to your emotions.’ The words slipped out of Sasuke’s mouth and both men blushed. In a quiet voice Sasuke continued talking despite the heat in his cheeks. ‘I believe you’ve realised my family aren’t very emotional. Most of my socialising is business in a nicer location, everyone is nice to me because they want something from me. And even the few people that could perhaps be counted as my friends are intimidated by me. Even if it was just because you were drunk, I was attracted to how you declared your love for me, which many people have, and then weren’t afraid to get in an argument with me, no one has ever done that.’

Naruto’s lips curled upwards in a shy smile, but he spoke seriously. ‘It’s not in my interests to say this, but I kinda need to. It’s one of the basic things they say to you in therapy, don’t ever mistake someone being angry or possessive for someone giving you positive attention. Me shouting at you is me revealing my fucked up childhood, not me making your life more exciting.’

‘Can’t it be both?’ Sasuke smirked. ‘But don’t worry about me, Naruto, I’m in no danger of you breaking my heart. I’ve investigated and decided that I am not gay.’

Naruto spluttered with laughter. ‘Let me guess this one, please let me guess! Did you watch some gay porn…I bet you were all meticulous searching out porn that had won awards, or most searched for adult models, or something, I’m right aren’t I? I can already tell by the way you’re glaring at me! And you didn’t get turned on, so you decided that you’re entirely hetero based off the back of your little experiment?’

Sasuke decided the only way to keep his pride was to stare forward through the windscreen and not answer.

‘Okay, non-gay Sasuke, tell me you haven’t been looking forward to meeting me…and thinking about kissing me again.’

‘You’re more interesting than spending Christmas Day studying sales figures. That is it.’

‘I’ve kissed lots of people…’

‘How many?’ Sasuke snapped.

‘Fuck, I’ve just told you possessiveness is not to be confused with affection, but it makes me so hot thinking you might be jealous of my previous lovers.’ Naruto glanced sideways at Sasuke. ‘I normally can’t stand all the things that are part of your basic personality, but in you I love them.’

Sasuke curled his legs up on the seat and under the blanket. A gesture that was completely unlike himself.

Naruto cleared his throat. ‘No one kisses like you do. I’m almost certain that you desire me…but I don’t want to pressure you. Forgive me laughing at you saying you’re not gay, I should…’

‘I don’t mind you laughing at me, idiot. I just told you, I like how open you are with me, letting me see the real man behind the salesman gloss.’

‘That salesman gloss is I hope more part of me than screaming at you about coffee.’ Naruto smiled.

Sasuke closed his eyes. It wasn’t his normal fatigue, when he worked and worked until the early hours of the morning and his eyelids drooped shut. This was more like sleeping because he was relaxed and wanted to rest. He had no idea if things were going well with the blonde or not. But he felt things that he never had before in this man’s company. An extra layer of peace was wrapped around him at the fact that he had not only let Naruto drive but could go to sleep while he was.

‘I’ve been counting the sleeps until seeing you,’ Sasuke said in a half doze before he fell into peaceful dreams.

‘Me too,’ Naruto breathed. ‘Me too.’

 

Sasuke couldn’t believe what had been done to his family cabin. He’d thought that Naruto had had lots of bags, but now he was amazed at how much stuff had come out of so few bags. Naruto had brushed it off, saying he was good at packing. Sasuke watched in amazement as the tasteful log cabin turned into a Santa’s Grotto. If Santa had done his decorating after ingesting a vast amount of drugs and doing all his shopping in a discount tinsel store.

‘I know you don’t like sweet things, but I brought all the cakes more for the effect. It’s got to look right. But to eat I’ve got tons of savoury stuff, we can like have a Christmas picnic in front of the fire.’

Sasuke nodded. He should hate this; it was tacky, tasteless and over the top, but he was smiling like a little kid.

Naruto finally stopped in front of him. ‘I’ve got you a present.’ He held out a package wrapped in silver paper and gold ribbons.

‘It’s not Christmas Day,’ Sasuke said. But his eyes widened at the gift though wondering what it was.

‘I’m Father Christmas, I say you can have one present early. I’ve got plenty more to give you tomorrow.’

Sasuke gazed into the blue eyes.

‘They’re not like, yaknow, the things Itachi gives you. All that Uchiha money I work so hard to earn goes on…’

‘You support a man called Gaara Suna to live who was at the orphanage at the same time as you,’ Sasuke said simply.

Naruto tilted his head. ‘You been hacking again?’

Sasuke shrugged. ‘You must have known I would.’

‘You are a very bad man, Sasuke Uchiha,’ Naruto said. ‘You’re fortunate that I am such a kind person.’ He pressed the present onto Sasuke.

Sasuke gave a wry smile and undid the gift. It was a mirror to the notebooks that he used to use when he worked with his old Taka team on various hacking projects. Inside there was an idea for a game titled ‘Naruto and Sasuke’s Amazing Adventures’. There were notes and lots and lots of pictures.

‘Why are you wearing a basic tracksuit, and I am half naked?’ Sasuke said with a smile.

‘It could be half dressed?’ Naruto tried to look innocent and failed. ‘And you’ve got a shirt on…you’ve just chosen to leave it unbuttoned…to, yaknow, intimidate your enemies by how good you are that you don’t need to wear armour or whatever.’

‘Hnnnn. Perhaps I should try that next time I’m involved in a difficult negotiation.’ Sasuke smirked. ‘And is there a reason, besides you having some sort of BDSM fetish, that I have ropes as part of my outfit?’

‘To secure the big sword I’ve given you.’ Naruto winked. ‘You must at least like that part.’

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and considered giving another dry response, but instead he said with genuine gratitude. ‘I like all of it.’

Sasuke turned the pages carefully. It was ridiculous, but listening to the blonde explain the incredibly detailed world he’d created, and the super powers he’d given the two lead characters, the Uchiha was smiling and mentally beginning to think how he could create and code it. Not that he would have time to take on such a big project for many years, perhaps when he’d proved his place in the company was as much talent as family name, he could relax and take a long vacation. But that was far in the future and by that time whatever this thing with Naruto was it would be distant past, and this strange little book the man had created for him would be gathering dust, or more likely long discarded.

A wave of melancholy overtook him and he put the book down and suddenly wished he was back alone in his apartment working through rows of figures. ‘I need a drink.’

Naruto bustled away, getting a bottle from one of his bags (Sasuke was beginning to think that the real Santa’s sack couldn’t compete with the blonde’s neverending supply of things that he kept pulling out of his luggage), then got a whisky tumbler from the drinks cabinet and poured a drink for the brunette.

Sasuke sat down on the sofa, his eyes unconsciously looking for the shape of Naruto’s body beneath the loose red costume.

Naruto passed the glass with a tentative expression on his face. Sasuke wondered why, then the scent hit him and he examined the colour of the liquid with a more critical eye.

‘How the hell did you get a bottle of…’

Naruto let out a big sigh of relief. ‘Thank fuck it’s the right thing. It was _hell_ to get hold of…’

‘When? How? The only bottles left are with aficionados and they won’t part with them however much I offer…’

‘Just occasionally friendliness can win where money doesn’t.’ Naruto grinned. ‘Only occasionally obviously, but one thing with sales is that I do get to know a lot of really cool people who are willing to help me out when I am trying to impress a gorgeous man by finding the extremely limited brand of whiskey that he likes.’

Sasuke did not try to hide his awe. ‘You are going to tell me exactly how you got this.’ He breathed in the scent of the whisky. ’You are by far the best stalker I’ve ever had.’

‘I was kinda hoping to fall more on the crazy-in-an-endearing way, obsessed and dedicated wannabe lover side, rather than sink into the stalker category.’ Naruto rubbed the back of his head.

Sasuke patted the sofa beside him. ‘You are by far the best crazy-in-an-endearing way, obsessed and dedicated wannabe lover that I’ve ever had.’

‘Thank you, that’s the nicest compliment anyone has ever given me.’ Naruto chuckled and sat down next to his boss.

‘You haven’t poured yourself one, you must have the first taste.’ Sasuke proffered the glass.

Naruto shook his head. ‘I now have an incredible amount of information in my head about remote Scottish islands, how whisky is distilled, the subtle but significant differences between different distilleries, and the variations that happen in the individual distilleries when there is a staff change, what the vintage years are…and well, a ton of stuff. But I still hate the taste of it.’

‘I suppose your favourite drinks are the cheapest, sweetest shots you can find. I’d guess you’re one of those people who gets excited when pre-mixed cocktails in cans are on sale in the supermarket.’

Naruto glowed with a happy smile. ‘You know your man.’

Sasuke turned away from the blonde and focused on the liquid in the glass. His heart had pounded when Naruto so casually pronounced those words. Logically he believed he wasn’t gay, he knew he had no time for a relationship, but since the office party he had continually fallen into daydreams of what it would be like to have Naruto as _his man_.

Sasuke sipped on the heavenly drink and placed his glass carefully down on the side table. Then he leant over the blonde, pressing him downwards on the sofa. Both men drew their legs, up, Naruto laying flat and Sasuke positioning himself astride the other man.

‘If you won’t drink it straight, taste it off my lips,’ Sasuke ordered.

He pressed his mouth down hard on Naruto’s. Beneath him Naruto sighed, it was a small sound, but Sasuke’s body responded with rampant lust, his tongue plunging repeatedly between Naruto’s lips, his hands fisting through the blonde’s hair, and his groin grinding wildly against his employee.

Naruto moaned several more times but his body remained passive underneath the brunette’s.

Sasuke forced himself to pull back. He knew he was a good lover, but this was his first time with a male, a sudden bout of nerves made him wonder if he was misreading the situation. He adjusted his position to reassure himself of the huge bulge of Naruto’s cock, the blue eyed man’s pupils were wide with lust that reflected Sasuke’s own feelings, and his red lips were parted seductively.

‘Your mouth is like fire,’ Naruto murmured. ‘We need to add some flame powers to your character when we make the game.’

‘We’re not making your game, it’d take years, and you’re nothing but an experimental distraction that’ll be over once I take you to the bedroom and fuck you.’ The words sounded harsh, and Sasuke regretted them.

Naruto didn’t look offended though. Instead he reached up and stroked a hand through Sasuke’s hair. ‘Why did you go into your family business when you didn’t want to? You’re in such a rare position, coming from so much money, you can do what you want. You could spend your whole life making tiny indie games without ever having to worry about making a living off them.’

Sasuke had no idea if it was this man, or this bizarre location of feeling like he was in some sort of tinselly paradise separated from real life, but he answered honestly with things he’d never said out loud to anyone else before. ‘I am privileged because I do what my family want me to do. My father views his sons as both his possessions and his legacy, if I didn’t obey him he would simply disown me.’

‘Then get disowned. I kinda know that I am missing all the intricacies of how families work never having had one, but it seems to me on the outside, if someone doesn’t love you for you, then you don’t need them in your life. With your hacking powers you already know that most of my wage goes on keeping my friend Gaara in a safe place, but you also know that I can earn a lot more than I do than working for your family. We can crunch the numbers, but I reckon I’ll be able to support you doing your computer things. I need to buy certain pricey things, yaknow, to maintain the image for the sales and keep up with what people are talking about, but if you can drop ninety nine percent of the luxuries from your life, I think we could do it fine.’

Sasuke gazed down at the other man with disbelief at his audacity. Naruto’s tone was entirely serious.

‘I’ve given you Christmas Day and…

‘Christmas Eve and Boxing Day…’

‘Because of travelling. But I am not giving you my whole life. You’ve nosed around and found out a few details about things I like, but knowing how I take my coffee and my favourite drink, in no way puts you in a position to make an offer like that. What would you do if I said yes?’ Sasuke climbed off Naruto and walked over to his own bag. He removed an envelope and brought it over, dropping it on top of Naruto’s chest. ‘This is my present to you. This is who I really am.’

There was no name on the envelope, Naruto turned it over in his hands a few times, before sweeping his legs around so he was sitting up. He looked at Sasuke for a moment, then opened it. The colour drained from the blonde’s naturally tan face as he read the newspaper article that was contained within.

Sasuke bit his lip. Naruto’s hands were shaking.

‘How…how…did you…’

Sasuke took a deep breath and ensured his voice remained emotionless. ‘It isn’t even a present for you. I had to do it for myself. I feared that when someone like you who appears determined to turn the whole world into your best friend calls a relationship abusive what would be involved. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and I had to investigate as I couldn’t bear the thought of someone prospering who had hurt you.’

Sasuke forced himself to keep looking at the blonde whose mouth was agape and breathing irregularly.

‘As soon as I sent you home in a taxi, I started looking for everything I could find on you. I know for example that since you met me you’ve stopped going for monthly tests for STDs, which I’m choosing to interpret as you’ve stopped being a whore and sleeping with anyone who asked you. Within an hour I was confident I’d found the right man. Another hour, and I’d deleted all the photos he had of you stored on his devices, and got in touch with a contact to ensure that when the police raided him and seized his computers, anything I’d missed relating to you would be erased.’

Naruto stood up on tottering legs. He stumbled towards Sasuke. ‘You shouldn’t have done that. If there’s a case against him…it’s not fair…I didn’t know there were others…it’s not fair they have to testify and I don’t.’ His body was slumped and he seemed inches smaller, staring up at Sasuke. ‘He still had photos of me from…but it was years ago.’

Sasuke put his arms around the blonde and held him against his chest. ‘It isn’t fair that an adult who should have cared for you, took advantage of you. But as long as you’re my…someone I’ve chosen to spend Christmas with, you’ll be protected and anyone who crosses you, crosses me.’

Naruto grinned. ‘Choji from accounts took my sandwiches out of the fridge and ate them a couple of months ago, will you avenge me for that?’

‘He is not going to like next year as he’ll be getting all the worse books to untangle.’

Naruto chuckled but it turned into a sob.

Sasuke led the blonde to the fireplace. ‘Burn it.’

Naruto obeyed and they watched the envelope and newspaper article crinkle into ash. Naruto crying got louder. Sasuke wasn’t used to tears beyond the people he had cause to fire, or one night stands who didn’t understand they were one night stands. Looking at the blonde man he felt a pricking around his own eyes and a constriction in his chest. Uncertain what else to do, he scooped Naruto up in his arms and carried him to his bedroom.

He pulled the covers back and placed the blonde on the bed. He was about to tuck him in, but Naruto’s hand reached out and grabbed Sasuke’s.

‘I thought I was fine with things…but you saw something else.’ Naruto smiled though tears fell down his face. ‘And I thought I was being awesome tracking down a bottle of whiskey for you, nothing’s ever going to compare with what you’ve done for me. There _is_ something between us, isn’t there? I didn’t imagine it, that first time we met?’

Sasuke wanted to deny it, but he couldn’t. ‘I don’t care about people, but you’ve annoyed me all this time…I think I was like a stupid schoolboy pulling the pigtails of the girl he fancied.’

‘You accept you’re gay now?’

Sasuke could deny that one. ‘It’s not men, Naruto, it’s _you_. I don’t trust myself to objectively judge whether you are attractive or not, everything about you feels perfect because it’s you. Last night, I was daydreaming about your feet, I’ve never even noticed anyone’s feet before.’

Naruto laughed. ‘Not-gay-Sasuke, come to bed with me. Tomorrow we can have a snowball fight, which I’ll win, and make snow angels, and toast chestnuts on a roaring fire. I’m not exactly sure how you do that, but we can work it out together. You can open the rest of the presents I’ve got you and get tipsy on your exclusive whiskey. But right now, will you come to bed and fuck me?’

Sasuke’s heart thumped. ‘I don’t deserve you, I’ve made Father Christmas cry on Christmas Eve.’

‘Then I’ll fuck you.’ With a wicked smile Naruto leapt out of bed and started tearing at Sasuke’s clothes.

Sasuke felt the full strength of the other man as within a minute he found himself totally naked and Naruto still fully dressed. The blonde moved his hands to undress himself, but Sasuke grabbed his wrists.

Through gritted teeth he admitted, ‘I like the costume.’

There had been a slowness to their kisses as if they could last all night, but immediately their sex had a frantic and desperate energy. Sasuke’s body pumped with a raging lust that was new to the controlled man. He realised that despite ripping his clothes off, Naruto, as he’d been with the earlier kisses, had decided to restrain his own desire and let Sasuke move at his own pace with this his first homosexual experiences.

The blonde gasped as Sasuke positioned Naruto how he wanted; his head and shoulders pressed into the bed, his ass in the air with his trousers pulled part way down his thighs.

‘You don’t want to go slower?’ Naruto asked as Sasuke searched through drawers for something he could use as lube. ‘Have you ever heard of something called foreplay?’

‘You need this as much as I do.’ Sasuke found some hand cream and dolloped it over Naruto’s inviting entrance.

‘I do. But why am I more nervous about being fucked by a virgin, than you are at fucking a guy for the first time?’

‘There are women who like anal too, idiot, I know what I’m doing.’ Sasuke worked his fingers over Naruto.

‘So, on the brink of the first time we ever have sex, a moment I’ve been fantasising about for months and months, you’re basically saying, I am just like every other person you’ve fucked?’

Sasuke thrust two fingers into the blonde. ‘No one is as annoying as you, I’m going to take you harder than anyone else in the wild hope it might stop you talking.’

Naruto moaned as Sasuke finger fucked him, making small experiments with the angle to discover what pleased the other man best. When he’d touched people like this before, he’d felt nothing, it was just necessary prep before he got what he wanted, but today, his body actually tremored as if he was receiving the same pleasure as the blonde.

His heart raced with the knowledge that he’d just dismissed as irrelevant, Naruto had had lots of male lovers, Sasuke hadn’t had one…how would he compare? These were thoughts he’d never had before, similar to when he was driving and had slowed down with a strange desire to be as safe as possible for the sake of his passenger.

He looked down at his cock dripping pre-cum and realised with amazement that he wouldn’t be able to last long once he was inside the other man. The only thing he could do was hope that he could make Naruto orgasm as quickly. Again this was a situation he’d never been in before.

He kept true to his word and pushed into Naruto with all his strength. The blonde bucked backwards into him, his hips begging for more speed and power. Sasuke reached around and wanked the other man, as he fucked as fast as he ever had. The feel of Naruto’s thick cock in his hand combined with the hot tightness of the man’s ass surged pleasure through Sasuke like he had never felt before.

Naruto’s seed jetted over his fingers at the same moment as Sasuke spurted his own heat inside the blonde.

They collapsed panting on the bed.

‘I’ve never had that with a man before…coming together…like that. You’re…something else, Sasuke.’

Sasuke pulled Naruto greedily against him as if he couldn’t get him close enough. ‘You’re a mad mess, Naruto,’ he whispered. ‘A mad mess that makes me see the world in new brighter colours.’

They lay quietly just listening to each other’s breathing for a long time, then Naruto started softly singing, in a voice much sweeter than his usual speaking voice.

_'Maybe it's much too early in the game_

_Ah, but I thought I'd ask you just the same_

_What are you doing New Year's, New Year's Eve?'_

Sasuke tugged on a lock of Naruto's hair. ‘We haven’t even got through Christmas Day yet.’

Naruto sung slightly louder and twisted his head so he could gaze up at Sasuke.

 ' _Ah, but in case I stand one little chance_

_Here comes the jackpot question in advance_

_What are you doing New Year's, New Year's Eve?_

_Oh, what are you doing New Year's, New Year's Eve?'_

Sasuke ran his hand down the back of this loud, annoying salesman, who was dressed as Father Christmas, possessed an unpredictable temper, and openly confessed to being borderline obsessed with Sasuke. The dark haired man smirked, ‘You already know the answer to that question, idiot. I’m spending it with you.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone has the most amazing wonderful year ahead, filled with lots of loves and cuddles.
> 
> I've written most of this story while I've been ill, so I am grateful to everyone giving it a chance as it makes me a lot less miserable being in bed over the festive period being able to write and share this little story.


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